Ninth Ward is a newly launched American themed restaurant in Clerkenwell offering casual American cuisine in a lively setting. A lot of thought went into the interior design with stain glass windows, old fashioned ceiling fans and furniture specially designed and imported from America to create one of a kind New Orleans experience in the City. The cocktails at Ninth Ward, sticks to New Orleans styles with classics such as the Hurricane and Mint Julep with an interesting twist, such as containing cognac in the mix. The cocktails here generally are top notch and can rival cocktail bars nearby. The place also offers a good selection of beer with some fine local British craft brews and American style pale ales.
The food menu is pretty straight forward with some seafood and pickle starters and mains such as burger, steak and chicken. Special on the day was the half lobster and it tasted refined and cooked to the right level, the meat was very sweet and moist and it worked so well with the punchy and yet settled spiced yoghurt sauce. The house special whole chicken was a rather interesting concept, instead of serving a whole bird, it came in 5 difference formats: fried, wings, sliders, gumbo and roasted. The clear winner was the buttermilk fried chicken, it had a crispy light batter and very tender meat. The sliders were very pleasant with finely seasoned chopped up chicken breast and legs in a very mild spicy dressing.
Overall it was a great evening at Ninth Ward, solid cocktails and humble American food at a very affordable price. Clerkenwell is lacking a solid American restaurant and Ninth Ward fits in that missing gap wonderfully so it was no wonder why it was so popular on the day I was visiting, it was extremely busy, buzzing with both locals and workers. After Nola in Old Street, I now know another great New Orleans drinking joint whenever I need to get a glass of well crafted Hurricane.
*I was guest of the restuarant read more